Who plays words with friends, hanging with friends, or scramble with friends? I bet most of you who own an iPhone play one of these games. These games are the new generation of learning enhanced games. Out of all you reading this post, who feels smarter after having played any of these games? Especially if they play scramble or words with friends. The capacity to create games and play in a competitive environment against their peers motivates them to succeed. The invention of these games has actually curbed a trend for players of the game to actually boost their vocabulary and increase their spelling at a time where auto correct, spell checker, and Google have began a trend that has show a diminishing ability in younger generations in spelling and vocabulary. These games are battling the slow digression of intelligence in the United States. These games are a gift from the app makers in Silicon Vally, CA to all of us users/gamers. Whether we know it or not, our participation in such games has actually helped us become smarter, and prevent technology from leading to bad habits and lazy minds.
I personally am an avid gamer of all three, and have found my vocabulary and spelling abilities to dramatically improve since I began participating in each of the games with friends. The trend they have started is a very positive one, and should be continued with more games similar to those already existing. I feel other gaming applications that involve playing with friends in an intelligence gauging manner would be very successful and beneficial for the greater good of the world's populations who have iPhones. This could also be a great marketing ploy for Apple if they create enough of these education enhancing competitive games with friends. The providers of iPhones would be in much higher demand if they could provide a service that could be called "Smart Competition" I wish I was an application engineer, but I'm not so I'm not able to implement my ideas, but hopefully somebody else creative with the tools to do so will. Comment your opinions of gaming with friends and your ideas for games!
I too am addicted to these games. I play all three of these games throughout the day, during class, before I go to bed, and anytime in between. However, I have to disagree that my vocabulary abilities have dramatically improved. While I have learned different words by playing the games, I still don't know what these words mean and how they will improve my vocab skills. For example, I just played a game of Scramble With Friends and used the "word" sh. Can anybody tell me what that means?
ReplyDeleteEither way, these games are pure genius on the part of the application engineers. They are fun, simple, easy games that anybody can play and, more than anything, are great time wasters!
I am so into iPhone games and constantly keep up with the new ones. In fact, I am guilty of going all out and paying the 99 cents for the full versions of Words with Friends (less ads pop up during the game) and Draw Something (the colors you can draw with are better!). I would say that I'm wasting my time, especially when it draws my attention away from class (no pun intended). But honestly, word games, number games, and thinking games have been proven to keep the mind sharp and may even prevent Alzheimer's. So yes, I'm going to keep playing and hopefully continue to win against my mom.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely addicted to iPhone games as well, my favorite being Words With Friends. Every time I bet a fellow opponent in Words With Friends I feel far smarter for doing so. I think that these games definitely do improve vocabulary and intelligence, but only to a certain extent. Some people (myself included) have become so addicted to iPhone games that it actually impairs their performance in the classroom. These games often make it more difficult for students to pay attention in class, to complete their school work, and to study for their tests. Therefore, while iPhone games may be great in the sense that they do foster learning, they can also take away from education as well. Students need to find a perfect balance that allows them to play all of these, as you call them, "Smart Competitions" while still completing their classroom work as well.
ReplyDelete- Mallory Harwood
The Magic Circle
I would agree that these games enhance our vocabulary and allow us to think in more complex ways, however, I would also agree with mark that it is not really to an extreme extent battling the slow digression of our intelligence. I feel like I am more motivated to play competitively in games like scrabble when it is live and with other people. Playing surrounded by our friends make it much more spontaneous and we can easily engage in conversations and watch each other laugh and have a good time all while learning from each other. If the a game like scrabble were to become on an iphone, it would not be as effective as the real dynamics and competitiveness of a group setting. In the end of the day my iphone is an iphone and I use it mostly for talk, text, facebook, as well as a few other game apps. In my opinion it would be very difficult to create such a rich and interactive scrabble app on an iphone that would really captivate my interest and motivate me to play.
ReplyDeleteI must say that I am one of those people easily distracted by my phone. Whether I'm stuck in my own world playing words with friends, scramble, or even the new fun game draw with friends, my attention has been drived from human conversation to my phone. While I do agree that this has helped out my vocabulary a lot, and I do sometimes feel that I am getting smarter in reference to words and vocabulary, I see a larger problem here. I agree with Ali that it is not really to an extreme extent battling the slow digression of our intelligence. In fact, I find this new epidemic of games swaying my attention away from people and from human conversation. I have become so addicted to these games that I do not even realize how I zone out the world. My friends and parents constantly yell at me because I have gotten so caught up in these fun games with friends. I see this unfortunately as more of a way that technology has engulfed society. I have even made new rules for myself when I can and can not play these games so I am not distracted while I should be participating in active and human conversations with my friends.
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